Joseph of Arimathea

This story is taken from a work titled Joseph d'Arimathie (c. 1200). It was written by a Swiss-French poet named Robert de Boron. Boron was probably also a knight.

Joseph d'Arimathie was first tale of a trilogy. The other two works were called Merlin and Perceval. Merlin is fragmented, beginning with the incredible birth of Merlin and ending with Arthur being accepted as king, after drawing the sword (Excalibur?) out of the stone. The rest of the poem (Merlin) was missing, including the death of the wizard.

The last poem Perceval is lost. So we don't have the content of Perceval, but both medieval and modern scholars have speculated that the Didot Perceval (1205) may have translated Boron's verse to prose adaptation. If you want to read more background about Robert de Boron, then I would suggest you read Robert de Boron and the Didot Perceval.

Joseph d'Arimathie was supposed to be the history of the Grail, with Joseph of Arimathea as the main character. The poem was later re-written in prose by one of the Vulgate authors, which was titled Estoire de Saint Graal ("History of the Holy Grail", c. 1240).

There is a vast difference between Boron's original and the later Estoire de Saint Graal. Boron kept his story simple and very short, where Joseph was involved in bringing the Grail to Britain.

On the other hand, Estoire de Saint Graal included many new characters and many adventures that are not found in Boron's original poem. The Estoire was also ten times longer than Boron's small work. These characters and episodes were derived from two original Vulgate romances (1225-1237) – Lancelot Propre ("Lancelot Proper") and Queste del Saint Graal ("The Quest of the Holy Grail").

In this part of the Origin of the Grail, you will read the retelling of Boron's poem. You will find Estoire de Saint Graal in my new Vulgate History of the Grail.

The story I am about to tell is about the history of the Holy Grail and how Joseph of Arimathea brought his people out of Judaea. The Grail was eventually taken to Britain by Joseph's brother-in-law, Bron.

Robert de Boron tell about Jesus in the Last Supper, the crucifixion and resurrection, which followed the gospels in the Bible, more or less. This Grail romance placed more emphasis on the roles played by Judas Iscariot, Joseph of Arimathea and Pontius Pilate.

• Cup of the Last Supper

• Table of the Grail Company

Cup of the Last Supper

The tale began with Boron saying that all men and women, good and bad, were sent to Hell when they died, since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve, and all the great patriarchs and prophets went there until Jesus through the grace of God and the Holy Spirit, brought salvation to mankind. If they agreed to accept Jesus' teachings, they could all, including Adam and Eve, be saved. Eve and Mary were compared - Eve brought death to mankind by falling to temptation, Mary brought relief from death and eternal life by subjecting herself to God's will, which led to Jesus' death and resurrection.

The tale of Joseph of Arimathea and the Grail began with the Last Supper.

Judas Iscariot was portrayed as a greedy man, who had betrayed Jesus after the Last Supper for 30 silver coins that he had received from the council of Jewish high priests.

Joseph of Arimathea witnessed the Last Supper in the home of Simon, on a Thursday night. Though Joseph did not have a seat at the table with Jesus and the 12 apostles, he had secretly followed and loved Jesus. Joseph saw Jesus washing his disciples' feet and asking his apostles to remember him as He shared bread and a cup of wine (grail) with the disciples. Jesus had said in the Gospels that "This is the Cup of God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out to you." (So you can see why Boron decided that the Grail must be the cup of the Last Supper.)

That night, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss in the garden of Gethsemane; the kiss was meant to identify to the Jewish authority. The apostles fled in fear at Jesus' arrest. Jesus was brought before the Jewish council of priests and was interrogated and beaten. He was then brought before the Roman governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, who was asked to have Jesus put to death. Pilate refused to condemn and execute an innocent man, but he finally agreed, if the Jewish council took the responsibility for it.

So Jesus was crucified on Friday and he died on the cross. Joseph was upset over Jesus' death, so he appeared before the Roman governor with a request.

Joseph was a knight and a good friend of Pilate. Since Joseph was never paid for his military service to Pilate, he asked for a gift from the governor. When Joseph asked for Jesus' body so that he could give it a proper burial, Pilate agreed to the boon.

The Jewish priests however refused to give up Jesus' body, because they were aware of Jesus' prediction that he would rise in three days. They thought this claim was only a ploy. They threatened to attack Joseph. So Joseph told Pilate that the Jewish authority refused to give up the body. Pilate sent Nicodemus with Joseph to claim Jesus' body.

Nicodemus helped Joseph take down Jesus' body from the cross. When blood poured from Jesus' wound, Joseph used the same cup (grail) that was used in the Last Supper to collect the blood. The two men washed the body, wrapped it in linen (the Shroud), and put it in the tomb (cave). A large stone blocked the entrance.

The Jewish priests and authority placed guards around the cave to keep Jesus' disciples from stealing the body, because they didn't believe in the prophecy of Jesus' resurrection.

Joseph returned home and hid the cup with Jesus' blood in his house.

Before Jesus appeared before his apostles, He went to Hell and freed the virtuous people, including Adam and Eve, and their descendants. Jesus gave redemption to all of God's creation.

After a couple of days, the authorities noticed that Jesus' body had vanished. They thought someone had stolen it. They plotted to have Joseph and Nicodemus arrested and executed. But Nicodemus, hearing of their plot, escaped and fled before the authorities arrived. Joseph was not so lucky. The authorities accused Joseph of stealing Jesus' body from the tomb. Joseph was beaten and interrogated and thrown into a deep dungeon. He was deprived of light, freedom, food and water.

However, when Jesus appeared before Mary Magdalene and his apostles, he had not forgotten Joseph of Arimathea, who was languishing in dungeon for his sake. Jesus appeared before Joseph, carrying the cup (Grail) that brought radiance into his dark cell.

Jesus gave the chalice, which would be called the Grail, into Joseph's safekeeping. The Grail would provide Joseph with sustenance. Jesus explained the purpose of his life on earth and the secret of the Grail to Joseph and told him that he would not free him from his prison until the time was right.

So Joseph lived in the dungeon, waiting patiently in the darkness for his freedom. Each day, a dove would deposit a wafer in the cup and he would eat it. His name was forgotten as the years went by.

This was how things remained until a certain pilgrim travelled to Rome, some 35 years later. The pilgrim had witnessed Jesus' ministry and miracles in Judaea. In Rome, the Emperor Titus had a son named Vespasian, who suffered from leprosy.

(I know, I know. Boron got the ordering wrong, not me. According to Roman history, Vespasian was the father and Titus was the son. Vespasian was in command of the army that put down the rebellion in Judaea, before he became emperor in AD 69, after Nero's death in the previous year. Titus took over the command of the Roman army which ruthlessly besieged and captured Jerusalem in AD 70. Vespasian reigned for 10 years, while his son ruled for only 2 years. Vespasian's younger son Domitian ruled after Titus' death. Vespasian's own father was named Flavius Sabinus, a Roman tax collector.)

Titus heard from the pilgrim of the extraordinary ministry of Jesus and his ability to heal the sick. The emperor decided to send an envoy to the Roman governor of Judaea, Pilate, to find out the truth. Titus hoped that the envoy would at least find an object belonging to Jesus that would heal his son.

The messenger arrived in Judaea, where he heard from Pilate's own account of the events of Jesus' arrest and death. The messenger found out that Pilate had been forced to allow Jesus to be crucified. The messenger also found that the Jews were more to blame for Jesus' death than Pilate.

The messenger soon learned that there was a woman who had a cloth that might heal the emperor's son. The woman was named Veronica. When Jesus was carrying the cross through the street of Jerusalem, she had used clean linen to wipe the blood and sweat from His face. This left a permanent imprint of Jesus' face on the cloth (shroud).

Veronica was unwilling to give or sell her most prized possession to the messenger, but was willing to take it to Rome to heal the emperor's son.

Veronica travelled to Rome with the messenger. Titus himself brought the linen to his son, and Vespasian was immediately healed as soon as he saw the shroud. Both emperor and son were delighted and they richly rewarded Veronica. But Vespasian was angry when he learned that the Jews were responsible for Jesus' death. He was determined to go to Judaea and punish those responsible for Jesus' death.

The emperor and Vespasian met Pontius Pilate, who told them to put him in prison, and find out from the Jews who was responsible for Jesus' death.

When Vespasian told the Jews that he was holding Pilate, they were delighted and answered all the questions from the emperor's son, hoping that the governor would be executed, not realising Vespasian's true purpose. They told him that when they demanded the death of Jesus from Pilate, Pilate had refused unless they would admit their responsibility for this death to Pilate's lord. Vespasian heard this and was thoroughly disgusted with the Jews. Vespasian immediately condemned the Jews to death. No man, woman or child was spared.

One of the Jews was dismayed that they were being executed and pleaded for his life, and those of his wife and children, in return for revealing where Joseph of Arimathea was confined. Vespasian agreed to spare him. The Jew took him to the dungeon, but told Vespasian that Joseph must have died long ago from starvation. He had been given no food or water, since he had been thrown into the dungeon.

This Jew took Vespasian to where Joseph of Arimathea had been imprisoned. Vespasian entered the dark prison, and found Joseph in the deepest part of the dungeon. Joseph was in very good health and greeted Vespasian by name.

Joseph was freed by Vespasian. The surviving Jews believed that it was a miracle that Joseph had survived in the dungeon without food and water. The Jew who had revealed Joseph's confinement was spared along with his family, but faced exile. Vespasian sold the other surviving Jews into slavery. He spared the surviving Jews who were willing to follow the teaching of Christ for Joseph's sake.

Joseph told the emperor's son about the Creation, how Adam and Eve broke their covenant with God, but how, with Jesus' own death and resurrection, He had brought redemption to all who were willing to follow and heed his teaching. Jesus had redeemed the work of creation, and allowed Adam and Eve to be resurrected along with other virtuous people. Vespasian believed all that Joseph had said and was converted to Christianity. Joseph and Vespasian became friends.

(I would like to make one final note. According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus or the Acts of Pilate, Joseph was imprisoned and guards were set around the dungeon where he was held. When the Jewish authorities had determined to kill Joseph, they found that he had vanished. He was a prisoner for only a few days.)

Table of the Grail Company

Joseph rejoined his sister Enygeus, who was married to a good man named Hebron, who was often called Bron. Joseph led Bron and his family and their friends out of the land of Judaea into exile, searching for a new home. Joseph took the Grail with him. Some of the Jews that survived Vespasian's vengeance were allowed to follow Joseph if they believed in Jesus' teaching.

They travelled to a distant land (where they had stayed, Boron doesn't say, but according to the Vulgate version, Estoire de Saint Graal – "History of the Holy Grail", they went to Egypt first). Joseph continued to preach to his people, and for a while their community prospered. Mainly they toiled on the land, growing crops and keeping sheep and cattle.

However, famine hit their small community, and Boron says that it was caused by someone who had committed the sin of lust, which caused suffering and hardship to the whole community. They brought their problems to Bron (Hebron), Joseph's brother-in-law, who in turn asked Joseph for aid.

Joseph prayed to God before the Holy Vessel (Grail), and Joseph had another visitation from Jesus. Jesus told him that he had done nothing wrong. One among the community had sinned. Jesus gave Joseph instruction on what to do.

So Joseph constructed a new table, in remembrance of the table of the Last Supper. Joseph sent Bron to catch a single fish, which Joseph prepared. Joseph then placed the dish of fish next to the Grail, at the centre of the table.

Joseph called all people to attend, where he asked them to take a seat. Only twelve people who could perceive the wonders at the table were able to take a seat. The table was filled with all the food that each person desired. Joseph sat on the seat that represented the seat that Jesus took at the Last Supper, while Bron sat to Joseph's right, but one seat away. Bron would not move closer, because he could feel danger from the seat. The seat between these two men was vacant, and this seat represented the seat of the treacherous Judas Iscariot (this seat was usually called Siege Perilous or the "Perilous Seat").

The twelve men enjoyed all sorts of food. They were allowed to see the food which they enjoyed because each person was a virtuous man, and only virtuous men could sit in the presence of the Grail, so they enjoyed God's special grace.

The rest of community perceived no grace of God and saw no food at the table. One of the men at table named Petrus asked them about this. Then Petrus realised that the others did not enjoy God's grace, because of their sins. Hearing this, the distressed community felt ashamed and departed from the holy company. Before they left, they found out the Holy Vessel was called the Grail from Petrus. (Petrus is another name for Peter, but has nothing to do with the apostle Simon Peter. In the Vulgate version, Peter was the name used.)

Only one of them refused to leave Joseph's company. His name was Moses (the Didot Perceval (c.1210) called him Moys). Moses wanted to sit with Joseph and the other eleven men. Moses wept and pleaded with them to be allowed to sit with them. The other people in the company took pity on Moses, and asked Joseph on behalf of Moses for the seat that was left vacant. Joseph told them that it was not in his power to choose who could sit at the table. So that night, Joseph again prayed to God, and the Holy Spirit answered that they would witness what would happen if any unworthy person tried take a seat before the Grail by deception.

So Joseph gave Moses fair warning that if he was not worthy of God's grace then it would better for him to leave, rather than sit among them. Moses was thrilled that he had permission to sit among them, where he would share the privilege and ecstasy with the Grail companions.

When Joseph and his companions sat, they watched Moses sit on the only chair available to him, between Joseph and Bron – the seat that represented the seat of Judas Iscariot. Moses was utterly destroyed by some unseen forces. This frightened Joseph's eleven companions. They pleaded with their leader to reveal what fate had visited Moses.

So Joseph prayed on his companions' behalf. Once again Jesus informed his beloved disciple that the seat represented the treachery of Judas, who had betrayed him. Any one who dared sit there would also be destroyed likewise. Only Bron's future grandson would fill this seat and live. Moses had been thrown into the abyss until such time that the man who would be destined to sit on this perilous seat would deliver him.

---

Bron and Enygeus had twelve noble sons. When they had reached manhood, Enygeus urged her husband to seek her brother's counsel in regard to their future. So Bron asked his brother-in-law about his sons. Joseph again prayed, and this time an angel visited him. Joseph followed the instructions given to him.

Joseph told Bron that if any of his sons wished to marry, they should do so, but should one of his sons decide not to marry, then he would be the chosen one to follow him and Joseph would be responsible for his nephew's teaching. Also, this son of Bron should rule over his eleven brothers. At some point in the future, his nephew would marry and have a son who would become the greatest knight in the world (Perceval), and the one destined to sit on the Perilous Seat of the Round Table (the seat representing Judas).

All of Bron's sons were delighted and married, except the youngest who was named Alain le Gros (Alan), who had no desire to take a wife, as the angel had foretold. So Bron and Enygeus were delighted and freely gave Alain into Joseph's care. Joseph would be the one responsible for Alain's education, particularly when Jesus visited Joseph in the dungeon, revealing the secrets of Grail; Alain would also know the secrets.

The next day, when the Joseph and his companions were attending their daily services before the Grail, they had a brief, radiant visitor who gave a letter to Joseph. Joseph called Petrus (Peter) to him and told him that he must read out this letter, and then depart on a long journey, wherever he wished.

As the angel had previously foretold, Petrus knew exactly where he had to go. Petrus told his friends that he would go west, and settle in the Vale of Avalon. Petrus was fated to lived a long life, waiting for the man (Perceval, again), who would come and read the divine letter. Only then would Petrus be allowed to die and join Jesus in Paradise.

After the marriages of Bron's eleven sons, Bron gave his youngest son the responsibility and leadership over Alain's brothers and sisters. They too sought a new home in the West, leaving behind their mother and father. Alain preached about Jesus in each land he travelled to.

So Petrus left the following day, leaving his friends behind, he headed West, toward Britain.

Finally, Joseph told Bron of his other plan involving him and his brother-in-law (more instructions from the angel, sent by Jesus). His brother-in-law was a good man, so he would be forever known as the Rich Fisher (or Rich Fisherman), because it was he who caught the fish for the company around the Grail Table. Joseph was to teach everything he knew about his meeting Jesus in the dungeon, especially the secrets of the Grail.

Once he taught his brother-in-law everything, Joseph gave the Grail to Bron.

Then Bron took all his people that had stayed behind with him, also heading toward the West. Bron moved to some place in Britain where he would settle and wait patiently for a reunion with his son, Alain. Then Bron gave the Grail to his son (Alain), who would in the end give the Holy Vessel to his own son, Perceval.

At this point, Joseph's time on earth would end. Joseph died and was taken to heaven.

---

As I said before in the introduction of the origin of the grail, Boron's next work was Merlin, then followed by Perceval. Only an incomplete part of Merlin has survived, but Boron's Perceval is lost.

In this next section of the Origin of the Grail, I have recounted a different history about Joseph in the Vulgate History of the Grail. This new version was actually based on the many allusions found in the original Vulgate romance called Queste del Saint Graal, known by its English title as the "Quest of the Holy Grail".

Genealogy

House of Joseph of Arimathea (Boron's version)